Does anyone but me find it humorous that so many message board posters complain about technology ruining bowling, and insist on comparing scoring from 1975 to today, yet we never hear anyone arguing that golfer should go back and have a persimmon driver only golf tournament. 

If you are my age and have done both for any length of time you know that there is as much difference between a persimmon driver circa 1975, and the 460 cc monsters of today as their is between my old yellow dot, and my Mastermind.

Respectfully I don't feel there's any comparison between the effect technology has had on golf compared to the impact it's had on bowling. How often have we heard members of this forum complain bowling, with all the new tech, and particularly on THS has gotten too easy? Quite a few times correct? I doubt you'll find one person seriously say the same thing on any golf forum. Sure I hear the pros (Jack Nicklaus among others) say they need to dial back the distance the current ball travel, but to us mortals the game is still very hard to be good at.

Quote from: CubsFan on May 05, 2014, 04:05:12 PM

Respectfully I don't feel there's any comparison between the effect technology has had on golf compared to the impact it's had on bowling. How often have we heard members of this forum complain bowling, with all the new tech, and particularly on THS has gotten too easy? Quite a few times correct? I doubt you'll find one person seriously say the same thing on any golf forum. Sure I hear the pros (Jack Nicklaus among others) say they need to dial back the distance the current ball travel, but to us mortals the game is still very hard to be good at.

Really? So your saying a bowling ball has seen more technology the last 40 years than golf clubs, balls, training aids ect....? I agree golf is overall a more difficult sport and like bowling, if you dont put in the time your likely not going to be good at it. But to me the super game improvement equiptement of todays golf world has far more of an impact on the average golfer than bowling balls do for the same skill level bowler.

No, not saying that at all. The technology in golf equipment has advanced even more so that that of bowling. I am saying is that for 99.9 percent of us golfers, its still not enough. You will not find any golfer who feels the game is too easy.

A lot of bowlers right here in these forums complain that the ball, in conjunction with the THS pattern, have made scoring well too easy. That the 300 game/800 series has been watered down.  Despite all the tech advances, you're never going to find a golfer saying "there are far too many single digit handicaps at my club, way too many rounds in the 70's this year".

And btw, I have no horse in this race. I love both games.

Bowling technology has allowed for a large number of players to hook it a lot more. Golf technology has allowed far more people to hit it further then before.

Neither guarantee better scores.

Quote from: byronk on May 05, 2014, 05:08:15 PM

Quote from: CubsFan on May 05, 2014, 04:05:12 PM

Respectfully I don't feel there's any comparison between the effect technology has had on golf compared to the impact it's had on bowling. How often have we heard members of this forum complain bowling, with all the new tech, and particularly on THS has gotten too easy? Quite a few times correct? I doubt you'll find one person seriously say the same thing on any golf forum. Sure I hear the pros (Jack Nicklaus among others) say they need to dial back the distance the current ball travel, but to us mortals the game is still very hard to be good at.

Really? So your saying a bowling ball has seen more technology the last 40 years than golf clubs, balls, training aids ect....? I agree golf is overall a more difficult sport and like bowling, if you dont put in the time your likely not going to be good at it. But to me the super game improvement equiptement of todays golf world has far more of an impact on the average golfer than bowling balls do for the same skill level bowler.

No, not saying that at all. The technology in golf equipment has advanced even more so that that of bowling. I am saying is that for 99.9 percent of us golfers, its still not enough. You will not find any golfer who feels the game is too easy.

A lot of bowlers right here in these forums complain that the ball, in conjunction with the THS pattern, have made scoring well too easy. That the 300 game/800 series has been watered down.  Despite all the tech advances, you're never going to find a golfer saying "there are far too many single digit handicaps at my club, way too many rounds in the 70's this year".

And btw, I have no horse in this race. I love both games.

OK I get what your saying and agree. I also love both and am a better golfer than bowler but I'm a total equipment whore with both! Luckily bowling balls are cheep in comparison.

Does anyone but me find it humorous that so many message board posters complain about technology ruining bowling, and insist on comparing scoring from 1975 to today, yet we never hear anyone arguing that golfer should go back and have a persimmon driver only golf tournament. 

If you are my age and have done both for any length of time you know that there is as much difference between a persimmon driver circa 1975, and the 460 cc monsters of today as their is between my old yellow dot, and my Mastermind.

I know personally that this is 100# true

It also would help to compare apples to apples.  We talk about high tech balls helping bowlers, but we are still only talking about the top 5% of bowlers who really have benefited from these balls.  Sure, lots more poorer bowlers throw more strikes, but they haven't seen any increase in overall scoring because they cant repeat shots.  In golf we say the clubs haven't helped because we are only looking at the Saturday morning hackers like myself who still cant put or repeat shots.  I am 66 years old.  I drive the ball as far today as I did when I was 30.  Think I am a freak of nature, or just a guy who can buy the right Big Bertha.  I think Bubba Watson would say that the clubs have a bit to do with his ability to drive the ball 350 on a fairly regular basis

The difference in Golf is the courses are more than 10% longer and almost 20% narrower.  In the last 30 years and yet the golfers are still breaking records.

A golfer at the top level and the best of the best control a golf ball to 1 degree.  This makes the game capricious as a player very often cannot guarantee hitting into a fairway within his abilities as a player.  ie a top player will often say today on a tough long course that he played better today but he might have shot 10 strokes higher.

That first day he was 300 yards off the tee but 2 feet inside the fairway lines, the next day he was 12 feet off the fairway same distance and could not make a backswing under a tree! 

The difference is now players at the top level, Tiger and Phil are playing between 8 and 9 under par through the short game and the plethora of lob wedges, sand wedges and heel toe weighted putters and putting technology and better agromony.

But I will say, take them to a pro tour course of the 70s set up like the 70s and there is a high probability one of them will shoot a 58 or Rory will!

So it is with bowling.  The best bowlers are playing on shots that give them very little area that is almost capricious on the US open.  Even the very top can throw to the limit of human control and cannot accurately predict whether good throwing will put them in the top 10 or 50th or lower.

However put them on an almost league shot, say in the villages or at the recent Charlotte senior tour and they will show you what is possible with their advanced human talent.  ie averages in qualifying up over 250!  Wow!

Bottom line, on the golf tour the courses are 30% tougher than in the 70s.  I would guess the bowling tournaments have a much tougher oil pattern say the US open than in the 70s but as Rico says, it can't be seen! 

Both sports are hard on difficult conditions.  Both test the bounds of the peak of human performance at their highest and most difficult levels.

Bowling and golf on easy conditions for the skilled can be quite easy.  There are more skilled bowlers than golfers.  I can only guess that the use of two arms together in golf creates the difficulty.

Regards,

Luckylefty
PS I believe a score of about 65 or so is very analgous to an 800 on an easy bowling condition.  Probably less than 2 or 1% get them no matter how easy the condition in both sports!